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We have two cats as well, and have had one of them for 14 years.  We just got into the fishkeeping hobby, and I cannot stress how much our cats JUST. DON'T. CARE.

They can easily reach any of the three nano tanks that we have, and they just don't even bother going near them.  They don't appear to understand that there are actual food in there.

I would say just make sure you have lids in case the cats get curious.

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On 6/30/2021 at 5:47 PM, Catfish_Lover_Jane said:

So my family got two cats, anyone with experience? If so, can you post some advice? Their names are Starpuff (female) and Smokey (male) one tuxedo (Starpuff) and one black cat (Smokey).3867D060-BA41-4734-8173-34B3804577C2.jpeg.4f63f679df7f7b1c074b24d14552dec9.jpeg

Such a pretty!  I've had a few cats through the years and what I've learned most is to try and feed the best food you can, it pays off in the end with vet care.  Look for food with low ash content and you shouldn't have any urinary problems.  See if they will let you clip their nails.  Some will, some won't.  I use ordinary nail clippers and go slowly so not to clip the "quick" if you do they will bleed and cats don't forget!  They live longer if you keep them inside and each should have their own litter box. Some people think that's cruel.. it isn't.  They don't get run over, grabbed by dogs, or become pests in your neighbours garden that way.   Walmart sold a litter box that had a top that fit over the box where clumping litter could fall through.  I use wood stove pellets, only $6 a bag.  They get damp dissolve and you can take a litter spoon to help them fall through the screen to leave dry pellets remaining.  Very environmentally friendly as I can dump in the woods as it's only wood.  The turds get put in a zip lock bag and put out to the garbage... never think about putting them down the toilet!  Treat with a quality vet flea control once in a while and you should be just fine.   Remember cats are the boss not you! :classic_tongue:

Edited by Trish
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My one cat does not care at all.  My other rub/smacks his body into the stands to get my attention and is OBSESSED with drinking my conditioned water and old water in buckets.  I’m always worried he will get sick so I bought lids and drilled holes for aeration as I have to use hose water and buckets.  Water softener in house hose hard water.

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I'm tagging @Daniel, he has a funny "jumping vallisneria story"

I have two cats also! One named Fluff, and the other named Clyde. Clyde doesn't care about the fish whatsoever. But Fluff on the other hand will spend hours watching the fish. I have even caught her taking naps on the lid. For the most part I try to get lids for all my aquariums. Theres only one aquarium that does not have a lid and thats my 10 gallon:

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My Cat does not really care for this aquarium any more. She really like watching it when I first set it up, but after 2months or so she simply will walk right by it. 

A good thing with your betta tank @Catfish_Lover_Jane is that your pygmy corys stay at the bottom of the aquarium therefore its harder for your cats to reach in and grab one. Aurora is probably fine also as bettas tend to swim everywhere, but love resting on things like your substrate. 

As your cats stay with you for longer you'll get to learn their personality. You'll learn that perhaps one cat loves the fish, and the other not so much. Or maybe they both don't care about the fish.

When I was cycling my betta tank, one of my cats came ever day looking for the fish. Once I got Hugo, she loved spying on Hugo. Now will have her moments where she stares at the fish and "plays" with them. But often will just walk away,

 

I find that you can never trust a cat completley. They are very mischievous.

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Edited by James Black
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Smokey decided that fish are more entertaining than the bird tv. He seems to think that the fish tank is a tv screen and doesn’t really try to kill Aurora or the catfish.

Starpuff on the other hand, doesn’t care if they exist or not. Only when I spend more attention to the tank, she tried to claw the aquarium.

Edited by Catfish_Lover_Jane
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I have 4 cats: Cheshire “Chess”, Jackie “JackJack”, Ava “Squeaks” and Aiden “Chunky Monkey Boy.”  Aiden is the only one who ever seems even remotely interested in the fish.  Chess likes fish food, though, so sometimes I’ll give him a tiny sprinkle on his food if he’s being picky.

Over the years that I’ve had cats I’ve learned that they’re all insane in their own way.  Aiden will normally have a ‘cat crazy’ (some call them zoomies) at about 8:30 PM.  Jackie doesn’t like to be picked up but loves scritches.  They all love the smell of bleach and will wait outside a closed door while I clean so they can go in and get high on the residual fumes.  Catnip is a mixed bag, though Jackie is definitely a nip-head, or any mint really.  I buy minty hand soap just for her to enjoy the scent when I pet her.  We have 5 litter boxes (1/cat + 1 is the general rule) and they seem to have preferences on not only a specific box but also which box gets used for which bodily function.

I always say that my dog is my perpetual toddler and the cats are perpetual teenagers.  Chess is too cool for school, Jackie is the pretty girl, Ava and Aiden are the anti-social Pinky and The Brain-types (Ava’s The Brain).

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Hi, I don't really know anything about cat care, but with Aurora and your corydoras you'll probably need to make sure that they're fed at least once during the trip. You could hire or ask someone to feed him midway through your trip, or get an autofeeder. ACO wrote a really helpful blog article about this recently, hope this helps. Enjoy the trip!

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/how-to-care-for-aquarium-fish-while-on-vacation 

Edited by FlyingFishKeeper
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Get someone to come in and feed the cats, change the litter, etc. That same person who feeds the cats can feed the fish. 

To make it easier for the petsitter pre mesure the food. I personally use the plastic shot glasses, mesure each feeding into each cup. one cup = one feeding.

I would suggest the catsitter to come in perhaps once every other day. Each time they come, they feed the fish. No need to worry about waterchanges. 

Hopefully Aurora wont hog the food from the pygmy corycats. But you should be fine either way.

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Aww that’s wonderful that you got two littermates! If you have any specific questions just let me/us know. I foster kittens, and we’ve had our adult cat for 9 years. If you want some great cat advice, check out Jackson Galaxy’s YouTube channel.

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